As the federal government is set to ease the Coronavirus lockdown on Lagos,Ogun and Abuja from Monday 4th of May, 2020, the Lagos State chapter of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycles and Motorcycles Owners Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) under the leadership of Comrade Ogundare Olaoluwa Theophilus,
has plead with the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to also allow the commercial motor cyclists start working like their counterparts who drive buses and Keke Marwa, stressing that okada riders too are really affected economically by the five weeks lockdown.
Olaoluwa commended the efforts of Governor Sanwo-Olu towards curbing the dreaded pandemic by putting strict measures in place and providing palliatives to cushion the effects of the attendant pains. However, he asked the governor on behalf of Okada riders in Lagos State to allow them to start working too ”as soon as possible” while pledging that his men are ready to obey rules and regulation the government may want to give to guide their operation.
“We are aware of the dangers of the Coronavirus pandemic and we are also trying our possible best to fight it. We shall make sure every okada rider has sanitizer for self and passenger, and must wear face mask and must not lift more than one passenger. And our monitoring team is prepared to arrest defaulters,” Olaoluwa stated.
Olaoluwa added that the union would also seize the motorcycle of any member found flouting the stipulated rules ”because we will make them sign an undertaking before hitting the roads and we shall also help to hand over such violator to the police”.
Conclusively, Comrade Ogundare pleaded that because each of them has a family that depend on their daily income, the Lagos State government should allow them to work too but give them rules to follow, saying he has asked members of his association not to work until the governor ask them to.
-Murphy Ajibade Alabi
